Let’s smash our goal of $25,000 this year!

This year marks the ninth year our Toronto team has participated in Slalom's Annual Food Drive — our largest company-wide charitable event. Our campaign kicks off this week, with a keystone event favourite right after Thirsty Thursday on April 25th. We will wrap up with a bit of fun on May 16th. As we move into post-pandemic life and feel the impact of years of global crisis, it is more important than ever for us to support our Food Drive partner and continue giving back to our local communities!

This year we aim to make a big impact with micro-events, food donations, and a food sort at Daily Bread — giving more opportunities to donate and participate however you feel comfortable. Here are our planned events:

• Non-perishable Food Donations – (boxes on each floor in the kitchen)
• Bagel Spread Breakfast on 4th — April 25th from 10-11am
• Hot Wings Challenge — April 25th (at 5pm on 4th after Thirsty Thursday)
• Seasonal Drinks & Snack Cart – April 30th and May 2nd (from 2-3pm)
• Ice Cream Sundae Bar on 4th — May 7th and May 9th (from 2-3pm)
• Food Sort @ Daily Bread – May 10th (8:30am-11:30am, 20 spots)
• Food Drive Work from Work Lunch – TBC (Week of May 13th-17th)
• Surprise Raffle Items (to be confirmed) – Draw is on May 16th 
• Leadership Dares – ongoing, with a Pie-in-the-Face on May 16th!

Our partnership with Daily Bread Food Bank

We are pleased to continue our partnership with Daily Bread Food Bank for this event. Daily Bread works toward long-term solutions to end hunger and poverty and runs innovative programs to support individuals living on low income and experiencing food insecurity. They distribute fresh and shelf stable food, and fresh-cooked meals to 128 member agencies and 193 food programs across Toronto. They believe that access to food is a basic human right, not a privilege, and that no one should go hungry or face barriers to accessing food.

Again this year, the alarm bells have been sounded across our community — Daily Bread saw more than 300,000 client visits in February 2024. This number is unbelievable, with an incredible increase since this time last year. Now, these numbers represent 1 in 10 Torontonians using a food bank monthly. To further understand the magnitude of this number, Daily Bread's monthly client visits peaked at ~70,000 pre-pandemic in 2019.

History of Slalom Food Drive 

2024 marks the 11th year of the Annual Food Drive at Slalom, which to date has raised ~$2 million in donations! This three-week event is just one of the many examples of Slalom striving to make an impact in our local communities and to shape a better future we can all love. Over the last three years, in the face of a global pandemic, our team was able to raise over $25,000 to help Daily Bread ensure those facing food insecurity were able to continue to access fresh, nutritious food. We encourage our Slalom community to consider the needs of our Toronto community and donate what they are able to during this time. Your contributions are much appreciated — every $1 raised allows Daily Bread to distribute food for 1 meal. Thank you so much for your continued support!